Daytona International Speedway is a magical track where anything can happen at the historical racetrack. First time winners are something that surprisingly has happened multiple times at Daytona over the years, and Speedweeks this year has been no exception. Rookie John King got his 1st career Craftsman Truck Series win on Friday night surviving multiple Green-white-checkers to win his 1st career Truck Series race. Saturday afternoon another first time winner, as Craftsman Truck Series regular James Buescher went from 11th to 1st in the final turn to capture the Nationwide Series race in Daytona after the leaders all crashed in the final turn in a wreck that took out the likes of Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, and Trevor Bayne. The win by James Buescher was the 1st of his career in the Nationwide Series.
Sunday is the Daytona 500 where Carl Edwards is on the pole with Greg Biffle on the outside pole for the 54th running of the Daytona 500. Daytona is the Super Bowl of NASCAR and yet there has been seven drivers whose 1st career win have come in the Daytona 500. This list includes Tiny Lund who won it in 1963, Mario Andretti in 1967 and Pete Hamilton in 1970. In NASCAR’s Common Era Derrike Cope won the 1990 Daytona 500 after a flat tire on leader Dale Earnhardt’s #3 on the final lap. Sterling Marin would go on to win the 500 in 1994, and in more recent memory Michael Waltrip scored his 1st career win in the 2001 Daytona 500 finishing just in front of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a race marred by the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt on the final lap. Just last year the biggest underdog of all in unheralded rookie Trevor Bayne was able to surprise everybody in getting the victory.
This year there are 10 drivers out of the 43 car field who have never won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in their careers, and they all hope to be potentially be the next 1st time Sprint Cup winner in the biggest race of the season. The biggest name on the list is Danica Patrick who is making her Sprint Cup Series debut driving for Stewart-Haas Racing in the #10 Go Daddy Chevy. Patrick is running a limited Cup schedule this season while concentrating on the Nationwide Series fulltime in her 1st season away from the Izod Indy Car Series. After wrecking in the Gatorade Duels on Thursday Danica will start in 29th position but will have to go to the back of the field due to having to use a backup car.
AJ Allmendinger moves over from famous #43 of Richard Petty Motorsports and into the #22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge of Roger Penske. Allmendinger inherits the former ride of former NASCAR champion Kurt Busch. Replacing Busch gives AJ Allmendinger that much more pressure to succeed and brush off the title of the best driver without a win. Allmendinger has 4 top 5 finishes in his 152 career Cup races, including a career best 3rd in the Daytona 500 in 2009. Allmendinger will start 15th in the Daytona 500.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has a chance to surprise in the Daytona 500 much like his Roush-Fenway Nationwide Series teammate Trevor Bayne was able to do last season. The 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion will be racing in the #6 Ford EcoBoost Ford replacing the departed David Ragan who was let go after the season after Roush was unable to secure sponsorship for him after UPS who was Ragan’s sponsor decided to scale back their primary sponsorship. Stenhouse has 1 career Sprint Cup Series start which came in the 2011 Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway where he was an injury replacement for Trevor Bayne who was suffering from complications of Lyme disease. Stenhouse would start 9th and finish 11th in his only Cup start. Stenhouse will start in the 21st position.
Aric Almirola returns to the Sprint Cup series for his first opportunity to run a full season in NASCAR’s top series. Last season Almirola finished 4th in points in the Nationwide Series driving for JR Motorsports. Almirola comes to the famous #43 of Richard Petty Motorsports replacing AJ Allmendinger who left the team. Aric Almirola has 35 Cup stars, with his best career Cup finish of 4th coming in 2010 driving for Richard Petty Motorsports as a replacement for Kasey Kahne in the season finale at Homestead. Almirola will start 27th in the #43 Smithfield "Helping Hungry Homes" which was made famous by Richard Petty.
David Gilliland could be another surprise driver to breakthrough for his 1st win. Gilliland finished 3rd in last season’s Daytona 500. Gilliland only has 3 top 5 finishes in 186 starts in the Sprint Cup Series, but could be a surprise winner. Gilliland also was the fastest in happy hour which might help boost his Daytona chances. Gilliand however will start 33rd in a backup car after being involved in a wreck in the Gatorade Duels on Thursday. Gilliland will drive the #38 MHP Power Pak Pudding Ford for Front Row Motorsports.
Dave Blaney, the longest tenured Sprint Cup Series driver without a win would be a popular winner. Blaney has only 4 career top 5 finishes which includes a surprise 3rd last season at the other restrictor track Talladega. Blaney has 397 career starts and a Blaney victory at Daytona would be very comparable to when Michael Waltrip was able to win his first race at the 2001 Daytona 500. Blaney will start 24th in his #36 Ollie's Bargain Outlet Ford.
Landon Cassill moves over to the #83 BK Racing Toyota after losing his ride to Kurt Busch in James Finch’s Phoenix Racing Chevy. Landon Cassill has 48 career Cup starts with a career best finish of 12th last season at Michigan. Cassill will start in the 39th position.
Michael McDowell might be best known for his qualifying crash at Texas Motor Speedway back in 2008, but for the past few years McDowell has been known as a Start and Parker where he would qualify and then go to the garage after a few laps. McDowell has 84 starts in his career, with a best finish of 20th at Richmond in 2008. McDowell made it into the Daytona 500 with a little help from his best friend Trevor Bayne who helped push McDowell into a position to make Daytona. McDowell will start a surprising 11th in his #98 K-Love/Curb Records Ford.
David Stremme is another Cup driver looking for his 1st win in the Daytona 500. Stremme is an unlikely longshot, but in 137 carreer starts, Stremme has a best career finish of 7th which came in a restrictor plate race at Talladega in 2007. Stremme however will start in 4nd in his #30 Jegs Inception Motorsports Toyota.
Tony Raines is another driver looking to breakthrough for his first career win. In 162 races Raines has a best career finish of 6th back in 2003 when the Sprint Cup Series still raced at Rockingham. Raines will be an interesting car to watch at Daytona, as Raines drives for the underfunded Front Row Motorsports which was able to get three cars into Daytona. Raines teammates are David Ragan, and David Gilliland. If Raines is able to hook up with either of them, then he could be a surprise winner. Tony Raines will also be an underdog car to watch especially with the sponsor that came onboard his #26 Ford, as Republican Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum has come on board to sponsor Raines in the Rick Santorum for President Ford. Raines will start in 42nd position.
Any of these drivers would be a complete longshot, but if the history of Daytona is any indication, any of these drivers could somehow find their way into victory lane as the winner of the Daytona 500.
